If you're in/near Manchester, go and see the Joan Brossa exhibition at Manchester Uni. It's a delight! @uomcreativemcr.bsky.social

Arrived today. I wish I was Johnny 5!

The fruits of foraging...connecting through beautiful inks

I was introduced to this film last night by Len Lye. It's a cameraless animation, painted and scratched directly onto the film. I found it so playful and joyous. It really made me smile. Take a break for 4 mins and see for yourself 😊 youtu.be/2DboSrBmFYE?...

Wow, this 3,400 year-old ancient Egyptian paint box still contains original pigments! Looks similar to a modern-day set! An inscription tells us it belonged to Amenemope, Vizier during the reign of Amenhotep II. 📷 Cleveland Museum of Art www.clevelandart.org/art/1914.680 #Archaeology

Today I entered the magical world of DreamStates, where the Ministry of Stories brought the imaginations of children to life...wonderful!

Herbie Hancock giving a Vocoder Sermon about ethics, our one human family, and teaching kindness to AI will be a highlight of my life. Bouncing around the stage with childlike energy at age 85. What an inspiration!

The wonderful Joanna Macy is coming to the end of her life here, but she has sown seeds of awakening everywhere. 🙏May these forests bloom! From the book Active Hope:

This is a fascinating read... "to mould a fistfull of clay is to encounter a fission and a fusion of deep time and the human present" Creative therapists will know the temporal properties of clay; often primitive and regressive. When someone chooses to work with clay, we'd better be ready...

All children, regardless of their background, should have the opportunity to study a rich creative curriculum. Curious Minds is proud to support @theartsandmindscampaign Sign the open letter to the Secretary of State for Education at tinyurl.com/MakeSpaceFor...

An Inheritance (Manchester International Festival) is a time capsule artwork. It's wonderful! It made me laugh and cry. Hundreds of messages from hundreds of children will be stored and rediscovered in 2125. I wonder what the kids of the future will make of it? What would you like to say to them?

Thank you to Daisy Fancourt, who set out the challenges but also the quantified impact of arts & culture as a solution to supporting the crisis of young people's mental health, at this month's APPG Roundtable! Read more on Daisy's call to action! sbbresearch.org/professor-da...

When I first started working in MH, I was one of those suggesting "everyone should learn this in school" but I also now agree with Dr Foulkes; we need to listen to young people and offer responsive, tailored, relational support to those in need...ensuring everyone knows how to ask for help.

Ever wondered what art therapy is like? Here are some voices of people who have experienced it...

I had my portrait drawn at the Kids Market by Mary, age 6. She was very serious about her drawings. I love it!

Attention, members! We're co-hosting a FREE members only online event with The British Association of Art Therapists and The British Association of Drama Therapists. This CPD session will build your understanding of what we do, how you can get involved and more: baat.org/event/free-c...

If you work with young people and can make time tomorrow, I highly recommend joining this event. Learn and be inspired by excellent practice in working creatively with young people and listen to the words of wisdom they have to share... www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-future...

My husband has taught human reproduction and development to the Cambridge medics for over three decades. When people start banging on about "only two biological sexes" he starts with "which sex: genetic, hormonal, or gonadal"? Biological sex is not binary. www.scientificamerican.com/article/sex-...

"Art facilitates connection and conversation" I enjoyed this podcast, thinking about the benefits of artmaking and creativity in supporting healthcare professionals. Also really great explanations of some of the therapeutic actions of art therapy.

What is therapeutic life story work ❓️ Pleased to contribute to #baat #inscape hot topics looking at developments in art therapy. 🔗Read the article: bit.ly/4hPideM #ArtTherapy #Therapy

So fresh! Bursting with potential!

Check out my BMJ blog post, reflecting on how artmaking and art psychotherapy can inspire climate leadership, and support for distress caused by climate change blogs.bmj.com/bmjleader/20...

This is such an interesting conversation. "keep holding space for complexity"

About to embark on this 😬

There are a few spaces left in the #ACreativeTransformation writing workshop for young people and young carers of people with lived experience of brain injury in Manchester on April 4. Don’t miss this opportunity, sign up here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/writing-fo... Please tell everyone you know!

"If you spend numerous years promoting a national awareness of mental health, and encouraging people to “reach out” and “seek help”, then eventually, they’ll… do that." Exactly.

I published an article on BMJ Leader about climate leadership in healthcare, how artmaking inspires me, and the role of art therapy in supporting ourselves, clients and the systems in which we live and work. How does nature inspire you? #arttherapy #climatecrisis #climateleadership #GreenerAHP

Very happy to see BAMT here 👋

I passed my MA Art Psychotherapy with distinction! 🎉 So looking forward to getting my HCPC reg and getting to work!

I'm very keen to connect with young people with lived experience of #acquiredbraininjury for a free writing for wellbeing workshop in #Manchester on March 7. Travel expenses paid (up to £30 per participant). Please connect, share info around all your networks: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/writing-fo...

I have just been sent a shareable link so this article can be accessed for free: www.wsj.com/health/welln...

I will be a co-facilitator at this event. If you are in the UK and work with (or know any) young people who have experienced brain injury, please share 🙏

Ah, the Winter Solstice is here again. I love this day, bursting with hope as the light returns. This week I visited Wirksworth in the Peak District and enjoyed contemplating the vastness of things from the StarDisc stone circle. Do any of you mark the Solstice?

I feel sad to have ended my final student placement with @penninecarenhs.bsky.social secondary care psychological therapies this week. It was a golden opportunity to work within a team of inspirational clinicians. Working long-term, at depth, with my clients has been a great privilege...

Wow! Tonight I heard a transmutation of the experience of a heart attack into a magnificent orchestral suite, complete with pipe organ and siren-like strings. It was art as visceral communication. Thank you @nitinsawhney.bsky.social May the rhythm of your heart keep the music flowing ❤️

"Be excessively gentle with yourself. Stay clear of those vexed in spirit. Learn to linger around someone of ease Who feels they have all the time in the world." Some favourite lines from John O'Donohue (For One Who Is Exhausted)

A great follow if you like artworks in your feed.

I did it. If you also say "thank you" to the bus driver when you get off the bus, please let me know and I will add you. Please follow these driver thankers who are probably also good community members in other ways. go.bsky.app/6FDjhev

Simple knitting and doodling definitely improves my capacity for listening and retaining information

Earlier this year I saw a beautiful iridescent cloud drifting in the #bluesky

This group still has scores of slots left. If you’re posting about depth psychology, psychoanalysis, Freud, Jung, Object Relations, Relational Psychoanalysis, etc. drop me a line and I’ll include you in the starter pack. Non-dogmatic! go.bsky.app/D8D9ARz

should art ever be destroyed? a debate in the RA magazine in which I argue, carefully, that to make it inviolable disempowers it.

I feel like I'm a broken record, but the only way we can make this place work is if we don't bring over a lot of bad behaviour we picked up over at the bird site. Sit back and think about how you make this an app you'll want to open every day.

I wrote about psychiatric diagnosis for Psyche magazine — what it means & what it doesn’t mean. If you are looking for a no-nonsense general intro to diagnosis in mental healthcare or you are grappling with your own diagnosis, this is the piece for you. psyche.co/ideas/what-a...

In the loop(s) (2024) “I’m eliminating the word ‘individual’ from my vocabulary” This statement (spoken by psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr. Maria Grazia Turri) remains in my mind. We are never meeting just one person...

Myth: Psychodynamic therapy focuses on the past Reality: There and then (What happened to bring you here now?) Here and now (What’s happening right now, including what’s going on in the room) The future (What would you like to happen next? What needs to change?)